Iraq: Military List Equipment Exports

Lord Gregson: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether any goods on the United Kingdom Military List have recently been approved for export to Iraq.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Following consultation with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Ministry of Defence, the Department of Trade and Industry recently approved a licence to export 160 protective vests to Iraq for use by UN personnel in a humanitarian demining programme. The export of the equipment to Iraq was approved under the Oil for Food Programme by the UN Sanctions Committee.

River Danube: Clearance

Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they have received any proposals from the Danube Commission or from the United Nations Environment Programme for removing obstructions to navigation in the Danube within the former Yugoslavia; and, if so, in what terms.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The European Union has encouraged the Danube Commission to work on a solution and has expressed its willingness to consider an EU contribution to the clearance work. I understand that the EU was due to receive a report by the Danube Commission on 24 January. The question of EU funding will be considered in the light of this report.

10 Downing Street: Staff Numbers and Costs

Lord Patten: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What plans they have to cap the numbers of those who work in 10 Downing Street and the expenditure on them.

Lord Falconer of Thoroton: There are no such plans.

Political Honours Scrutiny Committee

The Earl of Northesk: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Who are the current members of the Political Honours Scrutiny Committee; and what were the dates of their appointment.

Lord Falconer of Thoroton: The current members of the Political Honours Scrutiny Committee are:
	The Right Honourable Lord Thomson of Monifieth KT, appointed a member on 9 November 1992 (Chairman, 16 April 1999).
	The Right Honourable Baroness Dean of Thornton-Le-Fylde, appointed 24 March 1998.
	The Right Honourable Lord Hurd of Westwell CH CBE, appointed 16 April 1999.

Political Honours Scrutiny Committee

The Earl of Northesk: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Falconer of Thoroton on 8 December, whether they are satisfied that "impartiality and political balance are maintained" in the event that a trustee of or contributor to a ministerial blind trust is appointed to the Political Honours Scrutiny Committee.

Lord Falconer of Thoroton: I refer the noble Earl to the Answer I gave on 8 December 1999 (Official Report, 8 December 1999, col. 90).

Media Monitoring Unit

The Earl of Northesk: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Who are the current members of the Media Monitoring Unit together with the dates of their appointment.

Lord Falconer of Thoroton: The Media Monitoring Unit is staffed by eight civil servants ranging in grade from B1 (Executive Officer) to A (Grade 7/6). These staff were appointed between April 1998 and November 1999.

House of Lords Reform: Royal Commission Report

Lord Hardy of Wath: asked the Leader of the House:
	What is her response to the Royal Commission Report on House of Lords Reform to be published on 20 January.

Baroness Jay of Paddington: The Royal Commission was set a complex and difficult task to be completed within a demanding timetable. I am grateful to Lord Wakeham and to all the Commissioners for their hard work and commitment in producing this carefully considered and thoughtful report and for meeting the Government's tight deadlines.
	The Government will need time to consider the recommendations made by the Royal Commission. However, it is very welcome that the Commissioners have produced a unanimous report, as this provides a sound platform for moving forward on a genuine cross party basis.

Residential Care Home Standards: Consultation

Lord Lipsey: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	(a) How many responses they received to their consultation document on residential care home standards Fit for the Future?;
	(b) Whether they will publish a summary of those responses;
	(c) What plans they have to refine their estimates of the cost to care homes providers of the proposed new standards in the light of the consultation;
	(d) Whether their proposals will form the basis of a study by the Better Regulation Task Force;
	(e) What form their final proposals will take; and
	(f) When their final proposals will be published.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: We have received 733 responses to date. The consultation period for Fit for the Future? ends on 21 January. We have no plans at present to publish a summary of the comments received.
	We will carefully consider all comments before we finalise the standards and there may be scope for differentiating between individual standards when deciding on implementation. The standards will be implemented by the National Care Standards Commission, which will assume its regulatory role in 2002. We intend to publish the final standards later this year so that providers will know what standards they will have to meet and users will know what standards they can expect as a minimum, well in advance of the implementation of the Care Standards Bill provisions for the new regulatory framework. A revised Regulatory Impact Assessment will be published with the finalised standards.
	It is for the Better Regulation Task Force to decide what areas of statutory regulation it wants to study. However, our regulatory reforms, which include national standards, have been designed to meet the principles of good regulation--transparency, accountability, targeting, consistency and proportionality--as set out by the Regulation Task Force.

Mentally-ill Prisoners: Hospital Secure Beds

Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many additional beds in secure wings of mental or general hospitals have been provided, for use by mentally-ill prisoners, in each of the last three years; and how many they expect to provide this year and in the coming three years.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The information requested is not available. Psychiatric beds for treatment of patients transferred from prison are not specifically designated within general or secure hospitals. The number of remand and convicted prisoners who were directed by the Home Secretary to hospital for assessment and treatment under provisions in the Mental Health Act 1983 in the past three years is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Section of Mental Health Act 1997 1998 1999 (provisional)1 
			 Section 47 251 254 247 
			 Section 48 508 493 442 
			  
			 Total 759 747 689 
		
	
	1 The 1999 figures have not yet been fully updated, and are expected to rise.
	In addition, over 1,000 other offenders are admitted to hospital each year whilst on remand or on conviction on the order of the courts.
	By April 2001 we intend to have an extra 250 National Health Service secure places in addition to the 221 places planned this year--delivering well above the target set in the Mental Health National Service Framework of 300 extra places by April 2002.

NHS Trusts: Waiting List Reduction Incentives

Earl Howe: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether NHS Trusts which fail to meet their waiting list reduction targets as a result of the current influenza outbreak will forgo any financial bonuses that they might otherwise have received.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: There is no national system for giving trusts financial bonuses when they achieve waiting list reductions.

NHS Trusts: Waiting List Reduction Incentives

Earl Howe: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will suspend their waiting list initiative until the current influenza outbreak has ceased to impose pressures on NHS hospitals.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: This Government are determined to modernise the National Health Service. Reducing waiting lists is an essential part of this modernisation process. Demand for NHS services this winter is greater than last. The NHS has planned well for these critical months since the beginning of last year. A seasonal rise in waiting lists is expected over the next couple of months, reflecting the planned priority the NHS has given to winter emergency admissions. This is anticipated in our plans to achieve our manifesto waiting list target. Trusts will continue to work to ensure the target is achieved.

Road Traffic Reduction Measures

Baroness Pitkeathley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	When they will publish the first report under the Road Traffic Reduction (National Targets) Act 1998.

Lord Macdonald of Tradeston: We have laid before the House Tackling Congestion and Pollution, our first report under this Act.
	We agree with the Commission for Integrated Transport that we should not set a national road traffic reduction target. The national volume of road traffic is not a good measure of our success in improving the outcomes that matter; particularly congestion and pollution. Targets for air quality, greenhouse gas emissions, health and road safety are already in place or are shortly to be published. The report invites views on our proposal to develop new benchmarks and targets for congestion for different area or road types.
	With widespread support from local authorities, businesses and the general public for the policies in the Integrated Transport White Paper and Transport Bill, we can also tackle congestion. The report shows that it should be possible to reduce congestion over the next decade, even when national traffic levels are rising.
	The report shows that we can expect to see a reduction of more than half in the effect of traffic pollution on air quality over the next decade, mainly through better designed cars and fuels. We can also reduce emissions of greenhouse gases from road transport, though only to slightly below 1990 levels.

Wembley Stadium

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the Foster design for Wembley with its 6 metre high platform and ramped access for athletics will in any way compromise the possibility of holding the Paralympics at Wembley.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: Following his statement in the other place on 1 December 1999, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport made a further announcement about the future of Wembley on 22 December 1999 which confirmed that, subject to further discussions between Wembley National Stadium Limited, the Football Association and Sport England, athletics will be removed from the new national stadium and an alternative venue sought elsewhere. Copies of that announcement have been placed in the Libraries of the House.

Young People without Visible Means of Support

Earl Russell: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What percentage of 15 to 24 year-olds who have committed suicide were at the time of suicide without visible, legal means of support; and
	What is the percentage of 16 to 17 year-olds with no apparent source of income who:
	(a) have been convicted of an indictable offence;
	(b) committed suicide;
	(c) became pregnant; and
	(d) became mothers of low birth weight babies.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Director of the Office for National Statistics, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter to Earl Russell from the Director of the Office for National Statistics, Dr T Holt, dated 20 January 2000.
	As Director of the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your parliamentary Questions on percentages of 15 to 24 year-olds who have committed suicide; who were at the time of suicide without visible, legal means of support and percentages of 16 to 17 year-olds with no apparent source of income who:
	(a) have been convicted of an indictable offence;
	(b) committed suicide;
	(c) became pregnant; and
	(d) became mothers of low birth weight babies. The information requested is not available centrally.
	The ONS collects information on suicides and births through the civil registration system. The only indication of economic status recorded there is occupation. However this is not recorded in a way that allows individuals with no income to be identified. Conceptions are derived using births and abortions notifications. No information on economic status is collected on the abortion notification form.

Mothers Disentitled to Benefit

Earl Russell: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What percentage of low birth weight babies are born to mothers who have been disentitled to social security benefits during the period of pregnancy.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Director of the Office for National Statistics, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter to Earl Russell from the Director of the Office for National Statistics, Dr T Holt, dated 20 January 2000.
	As Director of the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your recent parliamentary Question on low birth weight babies born to mothers who have been disentitled to social security benefits during the period of pregnancy.
	The information requested is not available centrally. Information on low birth weight babies is obtained by ONS through the birth registration system and cannot be related to social security entitlement.

Child Support Legislation: Interaction

Earl Russell: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will publish a Keeling Schedule to show how the provisions of the Child Support Acts 1991 and 1995 are affected by the provisions of the Child Support, Pensions and Social Security Bill 1999.

Baroness Hollis of Heigham: We do not plan to include a Keeling Schedule as part of the Bill for consideration by Parliament. However, the department is in the process of preparing a document that shows how the Child Support Acts 1991 and 1995 are affected by the provisions of the Child Support, Pensions and Social Security Bill, currently before Parliament. This document will be finished shortly and copies made available in the Vote Office, Printed Paper Office and the Libraries of both Houses.

Young People Living Independently and Claiming Benefit

Earl Russell: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many people aged 16 or 17 are not in education, training or employment, how many of these are living independently; and, of those living independently, how many are claiming benefit and how many had no apparent source of income.

Baroness Hollis of Heigham: According to the 1997-98 Family Resources Survey, which covers private households in Great Britain:
	1. Approximately 160,000 (or 10 per cent) of those people aged 16 or 17, living in private households, were not in education, training or employment. Of these, approximately 130,000 (or 85 per cent) were living independently.
	2. Of those people aged 16 or 17, in private households, who were not in education, training or employment and were living independently:
	Approximately 20,000 (or 15 per cent) were in receipt of one or more Social Security benefits.
	All had some apparent source of income. Notes:
	1. The source of the data used to answer the question is the Family Resources Survey (Great Britain only). The latest year for which data is available is 1997-98.
	2. The Family Resources Survey covers only private households. This means that people resident in institutions (such as hospital or prison) and homeless people are outside the scope of the survey.
	3. The estimates are based on sample counts, which have been adjusted for non-response using multipurpose grossing factors that control for region, Council Tax band and a number of demographic variables. Estimates are subject to sampling error and to variability in non-reponse.
	4. The figures for numbers of people are given to the nearest 10,000 people. All percentages have been rounded to the nearest five per cent.
	5. For the purpose of answering this question:
	16 and 17 year-olds are taken to be independent if they are not living with either their natural parent(s) and/or their step-parent(s).
	16 and 17 year-olds are deemed to have an "apparent source of income" if either they or their partner (if they are living with a partner as man and wife) has access to any form of income.

People Disentitled to Benefit

Earl Russell: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they conduct any ethnic monitoring of those disentitled to social security benefits.

Baroness Hollis of Heigham: No.

People Disentitled to Benefit

Earl Russell: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Hollis by Heigham on 16 December 1999 (WA 62), what sources of information they have on the extent of "linked problems such as unemployment, poor skills, low incomes, poor housing, high crime environments, bad health and family breakdown" among those who have been disentitled to means-tested benefits.

Baroness Hollis of Heigham: The Government's recent report Opportunity for All describes the problems associated with all of those who are socially excluded. Separate information is not held for that small group of claimants unwilling to comply with the conditions of individual benefits.

People Disentitled to Benefit

Earl Russell: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What percentage of those people receiving below 40 per cent of the average annual income (a) have been disentitled to social security benefits; and (b) have been subjected to reduced benefit penalty.

Baroness Hollis of Heigham: The information requested is not available.

Income Support

Earl Russell: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is the level of Income Support expressed as a percentage of average earnings; and how this figure has changed since 1988.

Baroness Hollis of Heigham: Examples of Income Support rates expressed as a percentage of average earnings are provided in the following table.
	
		Income Support Rates as a Percentage of Average Earnings
		
			   Rate as a 
			  Rate of percentage 
			  Income of average 
			 Date of Support earnings 
			 uprating £ p w % age 
			 Single person aged 18-24 
			 April 1988 26.05 11.91 
			 April 1989 27.40 11.43 
			 April 1990 28.80 10.94 
			 April 1991 31.15 10.94 
			 October 1991 31.40 10.70 
			 April 1992 33.60 11.02 
			 April 1993 34.80 10.97 
			 April 1994 36.15 11.09 
			 April 1995 36.80 10.90 
			 April 1996 37.90 10.78 
			 April 1997 38.90 10.58 
			 April 1998 39.85 10.36 
			 April 1999 40.70 10.15 
			 Single person over 25 
			 April 1988 33.40 15.29 
			 April 1989 34.90 14.56 
			 April 1990 36.70 13.95 
			 April 1991 39.65 13.93 
			 April 1992 42.45 13.93 
			 April 1993 44.00 13.87 
			 April 1994 45.70 14.01 
			 April 1995 46.50 13.77 
			 April 1996 47.90 13.63 
			 April 1997 49.15 13.37 
			 April 1998 50.35 13.09 
			 April 1999 51.40 12.82 
			 Single parent with 1 child under 11 
			 April 1988 54.00 24.69 
			 April 1989 57.05 23.79 
			 April 1990 60.50 22.99 
			 April 1991 65.40 22.97 
			 October 1991 66.40 22.62 
			 April 1992 71.05 23.31 
			 April 1993 73.60 23.20 
			 April 1994 76.50 23.46 
			 April 1995 77.90 23.07 
			 April 1996 80.10 22.79 
			 April 1997 81.80 22.25 
			 April 1998 83.40 21.69 
			 April 1999 87.35 21.78 
			 Couple (one or both aged 18 or over with no children) 
			 April 1988 51.45 23.56 
			 April 1989 54.80 22.86 
			 April 1990 57.60 21.89 
			 April 1991 62.25 21.87 
			 April 1992 66.60 21.85 
			 April 1993 69.00 21.75 
			 April 1994 71.70 21.99 
			 April 1995 73.00 21.62 
			 April 1996 75.20 21.39 
			 April 1997 77.15 20.99 
			 April 1998 79.00 20.55 
			 April 1999 80.65 20.11 
			 Couple with 1 child under 11 
			 April 1988 68.35 31.25 
			 April 1989 73.05 30.46 
			 April 1990 77.30 29.37 
			 April 1991 83.55 29.35 
			 October 1991 84.55 28.81 
			 April 1992 90.45 29.68 
			 April 1993 93.70 29.53 
			 April 1994 97.40 29.87 
			 April 1995 99.20 29.38 
			 April 1996 102.20 29.08 
			 April 1997 104.85 28.52 
			 April 1998 107.35 27.92 
			 April 1999 114.75 28.62 
			 Couple with 2 children under 11 
			 April 1988 79.10 36.17 
			 April 1989 84.80 35.36 
			 April 1990 89.65 34.06 
			 April 1991 96.90 34.04 
			 October 1991 98.15 33.44 
			 April 1992 105.00 34.45 
			 April 1993 108.75 34.27 
			 April 1994 113.05 34.67 
			 April 1995 115.15 34.11 
			 April 1996 118.65 33.76 
			 April 1997 121.75 33.12 
			 April 1998 124.65 32.42 
			 April 1999 134.95 33.65 
			 Couple with 2 children aged 13and 16 
			 April 1988 93.10 42.57 
			 April 1989 99.45 41.47 
			 April 1990 105.10 39.93 
			 April 1991 113.60 39.90 
			 October 1991 114.85 39.13 
			 April 1992 122.85 40.31 
			 April 1993 127.25 40.10 
			 April 1994 132.25 40.56 
			 April 1995 134.65 39.88 
			 April 1996 138.70 39.46 
			 April 1997 142.30 38.71 
			 April 1998 145.70 37.89 
			 April 1999 151.40 37.76